Hutchinson Heinemann lands playwright Miller’s Prima Facie novel in overnight pre-empt

Cornerstone’s literary imprint Hutchinson Heinemann has pre-empted award-winning playwright and former lawyer Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie, a novel based on her play of the same name featuring Jodie Comer. 

Venetia Butterfield, m.d. of Cornerstone, and publisher Helen Conford acquired UK rights in an overnight pre-empt struck with Jane Finigan of Lutyens & Rubenstein on behalf of the Jane Novak Literary Agency in Australia. The novel will be published as a Hutchinson Heinemann hardback in spring 2024.

Suzie Miller practised as a human rights and criminal defence lawyer before becoming a full-time playwright. Prima Facie, her award-winning play written for a solo performer, saw Jodie Comer make her West End début in 2022. The play will transfer to Broadway in 2023. 

Inspired by the play, Miller has now written her début novel – “an urgent legal drama which delves deeper into Tessa’s story.”

The synopsis continues: “Tessa Ensler is a young defence barrister addicted to the game of law, bursting with a commitment to social justice and fighting what she believes is the good fight. She commands the respect of colleagues and clients alike, with a string of unbroken wins under her belt. She knows the law inside out; she trusts the law. 

“But after a sexual assault against her, when she finds herself in the witness box facing the very system she once put her faith in, she quickly realises that something has to change.

“Both an expertly observed interrogation of our justice system and a deeply moving portrait of one woman’s frustrated attempts to decipher what justice really means, Prima Facie brings new life and sizzling energy to the #MeToo debate, with stunning emotional force.”

Butterfield said: “I love nothing better than publishing books that start an involved conversation, the kind of books that are pressed into the hands of others – by friends, sisters, mothers, partners, work colleagues – the books that necessitate ‘you must read…’ These kinds of books are rare. 

“They’ve got to have pace, plot, characters that you care about, that you need to know more of, that you want to spend time with. And crucially they have to say something – be more than just a good-time read. And Prima Facie has it all, in spades.”

Conford likewise described it as “a thrilling, important book that will start so many conversations”.

Miller said: “I am thrilled to be working alongside such an incredible team. Venetia and Helen are exactly the type of women I dream of collaborating with – deeply intelligent, writer-focused and widely experienced. I am excited for the book to be birthed.”

Since becoming a full-time playwright, Miller’s plays have been produced in 40 productions around the world.